What are politicians getting in donations? We could learn a lot more

An independent MP wants major changes to the way political donations are made, and what we know about them.

Independent MPs Kate Chaney and Zali Steggall arrive to speak to the media at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

KEY POINTS

• Crossbenchers want to lower the political donation threshold.
• Independent MP Kate Chaney has brought her Restoring Trust Bill to parliament.
• The bill would change who can make donations, and how they're declared.

Independent MPs have launched a fresh push to crack down on political donations in an attempt to increase transparency.

Independent MP Kate Chaney introduced the Restoring Trust Bill on Monday, aiming to reshape who can donate to political parties, and what voters would know about them.

It's got the backing of a host of crossbenchers but, like any private member's bill, would need support from Labor to become law.

Kate Chaney says caps on political donations would be too complex to manage. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

"We need to reduce financial influence so we trust governments to make decisions in the best interests of the country," Chaney said.

"We can't trust our politicians to make decisions about gambling harm if they're secretly beholden to gambling providers. We can't ask them to make decisions about climate if they're financed by fossil fuel companies."

So what's in the bill, and how does it compare to other countries?

Here are the main takeaways.

What's in the Restoring Trust Bill?

Under current laws, politicians are only required to disclose donations of $15,200 or more within six months of an election, or annually.

Chaney's bill would lower that to $1,000, and donations would need to be in disclosed in real time.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, who is responsible for regulating the gambling industry, rejected calls for her resignation after revelations she accepted nearly $20,000 in donations. Rowland did not declare them because neither donation - one $9,000 and the other $10,000 - reached the disclosure threshold.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said her department will identify lessons for the industry to learn. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi

The bill would also require companies and unions to get backing from their members before making donations, while contributions from current or future Commonwealth contractors - like the big four consultancy firms - would be banned entirely.

But it would not impose a limit on how much could be donated.

"It's pretty hard to find the model that works on caps because, while we don't want to see that money in politics, people also want to know when they have a choice," Chaney said.

"Getting that balance right is going to be very challenging."

What about truth in advertising?

The bill also includes truth-in-political advertising laws.

That idea's been around for a while. Independent MP Zali Steggall introduced her bill before the last election, and brought it back to parliament this term.

After supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed parliament, in similar scenes to the Capitol Hill insurrection, Steggall confirmed her bill would include fines for Australian politicians falsely claiming election fraud.

Zali Steggall previously brought truth in political advertising laws to parliament before the last election. Source: AAP

But truth in advertising is contentious.

There are fears that overly stringent rules could punish genuine debate, while weak laws could provide a veneer of credibility to misinformation.

Labor's open to the idea, but has yet to settle on a final position.

What are the rules in other countries?

It varies.

Australia's current disclosure threshold is roughly in line with the UK, where donations over £7500 - around $14,500 - to national parties must be declared.

It's much lower in the US, were candidates are required to provide the details of any individual who donates more than US$200 - or $304 - to their campaign.

The limit for anonymous donations to political parties in Ireland is €100 - around $160 - in France it's €150, and it's €500 in Germany.

There are also total bans in countries like Finland and Norway.

- With additional reporting from AAP.